Shloka 17

Devanagari script

वैशम्पायन उवाच इत्युक्तो भरतश्रेष्ठ धर्मराजो युधिष्ठिर: । कृत्वा5<र्यसमयं सर्व प्रतस्थे भ्रातृभि: सह,वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--भरतश्रेष्ठ! राजा धृतराष्ट्रके इस प्रकार कहनेपर धर्मराज युधिष्ठिर पूज्यवर धृतराष्ट्रकरे आदेशको स्वीकार करके भाइयोंके सहित वहाँसे विदा हो गये

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca | ity ukto bharataśreṣṭha dharmarājo yudhiṣṭhiraḥ | kṛtvāryasamayaṃ sarvaṃ pratasthe bhrātṛbhiḥ saha ||

Translation

വൈശമ്പായനൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഹേ ഭാരതശ്രേഷ്ഠാ! ധൃതരാഷ്ട്രൻ ഇങ്ങനെ പറഞ്ഞപ്പോൾ ധർമ്മരാജൻ യുധിഷ്ഠിരൻ പൂജ്യവൃദ്ധന്റെ ആജ്ഞ യഥാവിധി സ്വീകരിച്ച്, ആര്യമര്യാദ പാലിച്ച്, സഹോദരന്മാരോടൊപ്പം അവിടെ നിന്ന് പുറപ്പെട്ടു.

Word by Word

वैशम्पायनःVaiśampāyana

उवाचsaid

इतिthus

उक्तःhaving been addressed / spoken to

भरतश्रेष्ठःbest of the Bharatas

धर्मराजःDharma-king (Yudhiṣṭhira)

युधिष्ठिरःYudhiṣṭhira

कृत्वाhaving done / having made

आर्यसमयम्proper/elderly decorum; due observance

सर्वम्entirely; all

प्रतस्थेset out; departed

भ्रातृभिःwith (his) brothers

सहtogether with

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Yudhiṣṭhira

Bharatas

Pāṇḍava brothers

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights dharmic kingship expressed through deference to elders and faithful compliance with a rightful command—Yudhiṣṭhira acts with restraint, respect, and a sense of obligation rather than personal impulse.

What is happening in the narrative?

After being addressed (contextually, by the elder king Dhṛtarāṣṭra), Yudhiṣṭhira accepts the instruction in a proper, respectful manner and then departs from that place along with his brothers.